Financial committee discusses Beaufort Co. schools' funding

November 16, 2015 at 11:10 PM EST - Updated July 9 at 7:20 PM

BEAUFORT CO., SC (WTOC) - The Beaufort County School District's Finance Committee met this evening to talk the future of the southern part of the county, which includes Bluffton and Hilton Head Island.

Those areas have seen a huge increase of residents, bringing in about 300 new students each year.

One new school is already in the works but now the district is trying to figure out where to go next.

At the meeting, the committee discussed the capital improvements sales and use tax act, which would allow the county to add 1 percent sales tax that would help fund educational institutions. The tax would be in place for 15 years and is expected to generate at least $480 million. Ten percent of which would be split between USC-Beaufort and Technical College of the Lowcountry.

The sales tax referendum would appear on the ballot in the next general election and if approved, the sales tax would go into effect on March 1st of that following year.